WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines of Montana and Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington are working together to advocate for their Build More Hydro bill.
The legislators sent a letter to the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, urging a swift passage of the bill. It successfully passed in the Senate by unanimous consent in July.
The bill aims to allow hydropower projects with licenses issued before 2020 to petition for extensions of up to six years, in two-year increments.
Daines and Newhouse emphasized in their letter that if the bill is not enacted, 37 hydropower projects across 15 states could face termination. These projects represent more than 26 gigawatts of baseload power and $65 billion in investments.
Daines’ office has indicated that a vote may occur after Thanksgiving.
As of now, the Speaker of the House has not yet responded to the letter.
